coral reefs

photo: Samuel Chow

Temperatures in the Caribbean this year broke 2005 levels, leading to fears that the coral reef die-off could also surpass 2005 levels, the worst year on record for both. Nancy Knowlton (1999) reported that she has never seen bleaching like this in Panama before. The reefs she studies are now covered in very rare layers of grey slime from dead microbes, a condition that she said is abnormal even for bleached reefs.

photo: thinkpanama

The oceans of Australia and Japan have the greatest diversity of species in the world, according to the latest update from the Census of Marine Life, while the waters most threatened by human activity are the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico – surveyed just before April's oil spill. "The sea today is in trouble," says Nancy Knowlton (1999), head of the Census coral reef project, "…but it remains a wondrous and enriching place, and with care it can become even more so."

Non-native lionfish in the Bahamas are decimating populations of fish that coral reefs depend on, potentially ruining tourism and fishing industries. According to Mark Hixon (1999), whose group studies lionfish, lionfish can kill up to 80% of small fish on a reef in a few weeks. Dr. Hixon hopes to encourage fishing of the lionfish, which reportedly tastes similar to snapper, to control its explosive population growth.

The Hawai'i Kai community's initiative to preserve the Maunalua Bay coral reef may become a template for other Hawaiian communities looking to save their coastal marine environments. Bob Richmond (2004) participates in this collaborative effort between neighbors, scientists, government officials, and environmentalists. Read recent coverage at the Honolulu Advertiser.